One aspect relates to a method of connecting a wire to a feedthrough. Moreover, one aspect relates to a feedthrough system and an implantable medical device comprising such feedthrough system.
A multitude of electrical bushings providing electrical contact for various applications are known, examples including: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,678,868, 7,564,674 B2, US 2008/0119906 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,076 B2, 7,561,917, US 2007/0183118 A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,260,434B1, 7,761,165, 7,742,817 B2, 7,736,191 B1, US 2006/0259093 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,274,963 B2, US 2004116976 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,794,256, US 2010/0023086 A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,502,217 B2, 7,706,124 B2, 6,999,818 B2, EP 1754511 A2, U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,076, EP 1685874 A1, WO 03/073450 A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,136,273, 7,765,005, WO 2008/103166 A1, US 2008/0269831, U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,219 B2, WO 2004/110555 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,720,538 B2, WO 2010/091435, US 2010/0258342 A1, US 2001/0013756 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,054, and EP 0877400.
From US 2008/0119906 A1 is known a hermetically sealed electrical bushing for cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators. The bushing includes a flat ceramic disc that is used as an insulating support. The insulating disc includes openings, into which various electrodes are inserted as through-going contacts. Moreover, a metal flange is disclosed through which the ceramic disc can be connected to a housing.
From US 2012/0193141 A1 is known an electrical bushing for use in a housing of an implantable medical device, the bushing including at least one electrically insulating base body and at least one electrical conducting element. The electrical conducting element establishes, through the base body, at least one electrically conductive connection between an internal space of the housing and an external space. The conducting element is hermetically sealed with respect to the base body.
Electrical bushings generally serve to establish an electrical connection between a hermetically sealed interior and an exterior of the therapeutic device. Known implantable therapeutic devices are cardiac pacemakers or defibrillators, which usually include a hermetically sealed metal housing which is provided with a connection body, also called header, on one of its sides. The connection body includes a hollow space having at least one connection socket or plug socket for connecting electrode leads. In this context, the connection socket includes electrical contacts in order to electrically connect the electrode leads to the control electronics on the interior of the housing of the implantable therapeutic device. Usually, hermetic sealing with respect to a surrounding is an essential prerequisite of an electrical bushing of this type. Therefore, lead wires that are introduced into an electrically insulating base body (also called signal-transmission elements) through which the electrical signals are propagated, must be introduced into the base body, usually such as to be free of gaps.
Conventionally, a connection between such electrode or electric wire and a conductive pathway through the insulating base body is done by means of a bond pad. The application of such bond pad is done by PVD, CVD, sputtering and the like and is therefore rather costly and time consuming. This is all the more, if additionally a masking of the surrounding surfaces is necessary.
For these and other reasons, a need exists for the present invention.